1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to data processing systems, and in particular, to entering data into data processing systems. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method of entering data into data processing systems utilizing a scanning printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Loyalty systems (also known as promotion or incentive systems) were developed, in part, not only to motivate the consumer to purchase a particular item, but also to promote customer loyalty to a merchant, transaction card, or service provider. Generally, such programs reward consumers for buying a particular product or conducting repeat business with the same merchant. To implement such a program, many retailers utilize the loyalty card system.
Loyalty cards are typically the size of a credit card and store data associated with the customer, such as name, address, shopping history, etc. on a magnetic strip typically located at the back of the loyalty card. As well-known to those with ordinary skill in this art, data is retrieved from a magnetic card only when the holder swipes the card through a magnetic card reader. However, magnetic card stripes are prone to deterioration due to overuse or exposure to strong magnetic fields. Therefore, there is a need for a means of retrieving information from a loyalty card without utilizing magnetic strips and magnetic card readers utilizing a scanning printer that is coupled to a point-of-sale (POS) system.